Conventionally, for example, a microswitch 101 shown in FIG. 5 has been known as a microswitch for detecting a predetermined object to be detected. The microswitch 101 includes a housing 107 in which fixed side contact points 102 and 103, a movable side contact point 104 and plate springs 105 and 106 are incorporated, a plunger 108 for transmitting power to the plate spring 105, and a lever member 109 whose one end is supported by the housing 107. The lever member 109 is a plate spring which is formed by bending a metal flat plate-shaped member in a substantially “L”-shape as shown in FIG. 6.
In the microswitch 101, an object to be detected (not shown) is abutted with an upper face on the right end side of the lever member 109 in FIG. 5 and, when the lever member 109 is turned in a clockwise direction in FIG. 5 with its one end side as a supporting point, the lever member 109 presses the plunger 108 downward. When the plunger 108 is depressed, the plate springs 105 and 106 are deformed and the movable side contact point 104 having been contacted with the fixed side contact point 102 is separated from the fixed side contact point 102 to be contacted with the fixed side contact point 103. Further, when the movable side contact point 104 is contacted with the fixed side contact point 103, the object to be detected is detected by the microswitch 101.
Further, conventionally, a microswitch has been also known which is provided with a lever member having high rigidity that is formed with a reinforcing means against bending of the lever member (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). In the microswitch described in Patent Literature 1, a reinforcing flange or a reinforcement rib as the reinforcing means is formed in the lever member along a longitudinal direction of the lever member. Alternatively, in the microswitch, a reinforcing beam as the reinforcing means is formed in the lever member along the longitudinal direction of the lever member. Specifically, the reinforcing means is formed in a face of the lever member opposite to a face where the plunger is abutted. Further, in the microswitch, a roller with which an object to be detected is abutted is attached on a tip end side of the lever member.    [PTL 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-161609
As described above, in the microswitch described in Patent Literature 1, since the reinforcing means is formed in the lever member, rigidity of the lever member is increased and a malfunction of the microswitch can be prevented. Similarly, when a reinforcing means is formed in the lever member 109 shown in FIG. 6, rigidity of the lever member 109 is increased and a malfunction of the microswitch 101 can be prevented.
However, in the microswitch 101, an object to be detected is directly abutted with the face of the lever member 109 (upper face in FIG. 5) opposite to the face where the plunger 108 is abutted. Therefore, a reinforcing means formed in the lever member described in Patent Literature 1 is formed on the lever member 109 as it is, an object to be detected may be abutted with the reinforcing means in the microswitch 101. Therefore, in the microswitch 101, a relative distance between the microswitch 101 and an object to be detected when the object is detected by the microswitch 101 may be varied depending on whether the reinforcing means is formed in the lever member 109 or not. Accordingly, in a case that a reinforcing means described in Patent Literature 1 is formed in the lever member 109 as it is, change of arrangement position or the like of the microswitch 101 is required. Further, when the reinforcing means described in Patent Literature 1 is formed in the lever member 109 as it is, in the microswitch 101, an outside dimension of the microswitch 101 becomes large. As described above, when the reinforcing means described in Patent Literature 1 is formed in the lever member 109 of the microswitch 101 as it is, the versatility of the microswitch 101 may be lowered.